


Clint's Home for Semi Retired Superheros

by Littleblackcoal



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-21 02:33:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13731285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littleblackcoal/pseuds/Littleblackcoal
Summary: A collections of one-shots, all following the idea of Clint's home becoming a place for retired superheros. Will not be canon, but still good times. Tags will be added as they become applicable. Let me know what you think!





	1. Renovations

When Laura agreed to Tony’s idea, she didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. It would keep the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist busy, and would benefit everyone in the end. 

He practically begged her to allow him to build an addition on the house. He would finance it, and wouldn’t make any changes without her approval. The extra room would be nice, and not having Tony whine about how bored he is would be even better. And if anymore of the Avengers were going to be dropping in for weeks at a time like they had been, some extra room would really help.

It went well for the first week, Tony had spread his things out in the barn, and drew up plans. He didn’t come near the house except for food and coffee, and even that was far and few between. Cooper and Lila took turns taking meals to the man. They were all aware of his tendency to not take care of himself. The peace and quiet was wonderful, and Laura took every advantage of it.

The second week, he and Laura conferred over plans, talking and redrawing. She didn’t let up on anything until she was absolutely sure and confident that she would be happy with the outcome. And when she voiced her concerns, all Tony did was reassure her that she would love it, and he got to work. This he did with little interference from Laura, but he enlisted the help of Cooper and Lila. They went around the house, flagging and tagging pipes, electrical wires, and anything they could think of that would make building the addition harder.

The third week, Tony got to work, and Laura had a surprise. Though as she looks back on it, it really shouldn’t have been a surprise. He didn’t play well with others for the most part, so he had the Iron Legion show up to help with the construction. It was actually smart thinking, with them to build, it was safer than actual construction workers. Friday controlling them, the kids could run around without too much worry. And Laura didn’t have to worry about Tony accidently collapsing more of the house. 

The fourth week she was getting a little skeptical. It was the middle of November, and there was still a giant hole in the side of her house. Originally when Laura had agreed to this, Tony had explained it to only take a short amount of time, and with the Iron Legion being able to work constantly, she had thought this wouldn’t take as long as it seems it’s going to. 

Realistically, she knows that building a house takes time. Hell, she helped Clint put up most of the original house. But now she was getting skeptical. They hadn’t made nearly enough progress for her comfort, not with the holidays coming up. With her concern climbing, she kept quiet, wanting to give him a chance to finish, or at least get close enough for Thanksgiving dinner.

It was the fifth week, just before Thanksgiving, that Laura decided to talk to Tony about it. 

“Hey, Tony?” She pulled her sweater closer to her, the air wasn’t cold yet, but it was getting chilly. “How long do you think it’s going to take to get this finished? I really would like to not have a giant hole in my house during Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Don’t worry about it Mrs. Legolas.” Winking at her, with his signature smirk. This didn’t have the reassuring affect that it had been intended to have. She knew better. “It’ll be done in time. And then we can all have that delicious turkey Red keeps bragging about.” 

“Just get it finished, okay?” Laura turned, and went looking for her phone. She put to off as long as possible, but it was time to call Happy. 

Wednesday rolled around, and the house wasn’t finished. Surprise, surprise. Tony had also waved her off a few times, saying that she really needed to just trust him. This didn’t make her trust him more, and irritated her. Then the power in half the house went out. 

“Sorry! Get that fixed in a few minutes.” Tony popped his head in the door to the kitchen, where Laura was elbow deep in food, trying to get as much as possible made. After all, she was the main supplier of food for everybody coming tomorrow. “Everything looks great!”

Sighing, Laura used her elbow to bump the sink on, and rinse off her hands. It was time to confirm a time for Happy to arrange for food pickup. She had tried, she really did, 

“Hey Laura. Does 10 sound alright?” Happy was probably one of Laura’s favorite people. He never made a smartass comment to her, and tried to be as helpful as he could be. He was also very smart, and had a healthy amount of respect for her. “And I can have the kids picked up too, then all you have to do is deal with Barton.”

“10 sounds great. And can you take Clint instead? The kids are easier to deal with!” Happy chucked on the other side, and Laura grinned. As much as she loves her husband, he is the definition of ‘man-child’. “Are you going to be there?” 

“Well of course I am. The way Romanoff keeps talking about your cooking, I wouldn’t miss it for anything. I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow. Bye.” Happy hung up, and Laura relaxed a little. That was one less thing she had to worry about. And with any luck, she could send Tony with the kids. 

“Hey, Tony! Can you come here for a few minutes?” Tony came to the call. “We need to talk. Sit down.”

“What’s up?” He leaned against the counter, trying to avoid the mess of food. 

“We’re having dinner at the Compound tomorrow. I already confirmed it with Happy. I don’t want a hole in my house with guests over.” 

“Well that’s too bad. Cause I’m just about finished, I just gotta check some wiring, and we’re done.” Tony grinned. “I told you I’d have it done, and I kept my word." 

"Well I already made arrangements with Happy. So start calling people." Tony just grinned, and did what she said. And Laura could overhear him saying something about Christmas being at her house.


	2. Homeschooling Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (Via Google)  
> Это собака - That is a dog  
> Племянница - Niece  
> Племянник - Nephew  
> If these are wrong, I am sorry, but I used Google translate cause I don't speak Russian.

The sound of a quinjet made Lila and Cooper look up from their project. They had spent all morning working on building a castle out of the dirt near the house, and they weren't done with it yet. Adding things as they thought of them, like towers and a barn.

“Uncle Bruce, what are you doing here?” Cooper looked up at the man walking out of the vehicle, he hadn’t been expecting his presence. It was normal for different superheros to show up randomly, but usually Bruce let them know when he was coming. But no matter who showed up, they are always given a warm welcome, and fed without a question. Lila always gets excited whenever one of them show up, it always meant something new.

“Your mom asked me to help teach you about science. I’m just going to go in and talk to her, okay buddy?” Cooper nodded, and Lila gave him a hug before getting back to emptying the moat for the dirt castle. 

“Hey Bruce, I’m glad you could make it.” Laura stepped out, pushing hairs out of her eyes before reaching out to give Bruce a hug. Out of habit, he stiffened a little, but Laura either didn't notice, or she ignored it. He didn’t make affectionate physical interaction a thing with everybody, being afraid of the other guy coming out and all. But Laura has such a motherly presence, that he just lets her do what she wants. “And thank you for helping me with the kids’ science. They’ll listen to you better, and you can probably make it more understandable.”

“It’s no problem. It’s a nice difference to the lab, and I've had plenty of experience explaining things to Tony, so there shouldn't be too much of difference right? Cooper and Lila are much better behaved than him.” Bruce settled himself at the kitchen table. Everybody did, Laura didn't know why, but everyone sat at the table. She didn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but everyone always sat at the table. Bruce sat there because he likes the room, the open layout, and the homeyness, the feeling of being unconstrained, always put him at ease. “Do you have lesson plans you want me to follow?”

“Yeah, they’re in the desk by the front door. I’ve tried to keep them learning similar things, but I don’t think it’s working. I figured that it would make it easier to teach.” Laura chuckled. “Any help is welcome. Feel free to do whatever you think is necessary to the plans.”

“I’ll take a look. And if I can think of anything, I'll add in some notes to help. Thank you for the change in pace Laura. I need this.” He laid his hand on her shoulder as he passed. “I’ll get started, and then maybe start teaching later. If that’s okay with you?” 

“Whatever you thinks best, you're the science expert.” Laura smiled, and opened the window to tell the kids it was almost lunch time. Turning back to Bruce, she started pulling out bread and cheese. “You’re welcome to join us, we’re having grilled cheese, or I can have Cooper bring you a plate if you get too busy.”

“I’d like to join you guys, I want to take advantage of not having Tony around. Some normal. I'm starting to get tired of takeout.” After that week, Bruce became their regular science teacher. Getting out of the lab was good for Bruce, and the kids love their new science teacher.

But this also started a wave of superheros teaching her kids. If Bruce got to be a teacher, then everybody should get to. Laura was happy enough to let them take over some of the classes. The kids get more excited when they found out someone other than mom was gonna come and teach them. The first after Bruce was Natasha, and she insisted on teaching languages. They were starting with Russian, Laura could only hope that it would stick long enough for her to be able to count it as a high school credit. 

Natasha came over as often as possible, always sharing the lesson plans with Laura so she could have some idea of what her kids were learning. So she listened in on some of them, and a few of the conversations were funny.

“Это собака” Natasha pointed to Lucky, then looked at Lila, then Cooper, waiting for one of them to translate. When neither of them speaks up, she starts the conversation. “Okay, what did I say?”

“Uhhh, you want fish?” Lila was the one to respond, and Laura could only smile. Though she didn’t speak a word of Russian, she knew that Nat was talking about animals. She wanted to talk about things around the farm first, thinking it would make it easier to learn. 

“No, Племянница." Smiling, she looked to Cooper. "What do you think Племянник?”

“Uhh, I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Natasha ruffled their hair, and smiled. She never lost her patience with them, and always helped where she could. 

“Learning new languages is hard. Especially Russian. You'll get it eventually." She smiled again, and scratched Lucky's belly. "I said ‘that is a dog.’ Let’s try something else.”

Soon enough, Lila and Cooper were asking Laura to have the other Avengers teach them as well. If Auntie Nat and Uncle Bruce can be such awesome teachers, why not everybody else? And when Laura asked, they all took to it with vigor. 

Even the super soldiers took up a class, not that Laura wouldn't think that Steve wouldn't, but she wasn't sure about Bucky. But when Steve started teaching about history, Bucky sometimes tagged along to help, not wanting to feel anything less than absolutely stable enough to be around Lila and Cooper. So far, Laura’s favorite history class has been about how Steve got picked to be a candidate for Captain America.

“But Uncle Steve, that’s wrong. The Army didn’t want you. It was the Strategic Scientific Reserve.” Cooper interrupted the Captain in the middle of his story about how he became a symbol for everything American. 

“You’re right. It wasn’t until after Peggy Carter, Howard Stark and I rescued Bucky and the other allied POWs that the Army wanted me. But I still enlisted through the Army, Dr. Abraham Erskine was looking for candidate through them. It wasn't until the Stark Expo Buck dragged me to that he found me."

"How many times did you try to enlist?"

"I don’t remember, but it was a bunch. Do you Buck?”

“Not the exact number, but enough that I worried you’d never get out of jail.” Bucky turned to the kids. “It's illegal to enlist under false identities, and he did when they wouldn't take him." 

"What's false identities mean?" 

"It means pretending to be someone you're not." Bucky shifted in his spot. Discussing memories was hard, as he didn't always recall all the details he thought he should. "But he did become Captain America. The little punk never listened to me. I told him to stay out of it. But he just had to enlist.”

“I had no right to do less than those other men you jerk. And be glad I enlisted. Now I can kick your butt when we spar.” Steve turned back to Lila and Cooper. “This guy got into so much trouble as a Howlie. You should ask him about some of the stories from back in the day. You'da thunk that guy would get in jail just as long as I coulda."

“Quiet punk. I’m not sharing any of those stories with anyone, especially these two. You can keep 'em to yourself.” He folded in on himself slightly, a habit he had picked up whenever he got uncomfortable. 

“Since he’s not going to share any of them, I will. There was a bar in Germany, lots of pretty dames there, working. This jerk here-” And that is when Bucky barreled into him, cutting him off, and making the kids giggle. 

While Laura loved listening in on all the classes, her kids complained. No one really likes school, but there are a few that they love. The two they like the best are PE, and Fine Arts. Though Laura thinks it has more to do with the antics they can get away with, than the actual class. 

Sam, and when he can get away from his duties in the Air Force, Rhodey, teach PE. Though, it's more of a extended recess, for more than just the kids. The first class has definitely been the most memorable so far, and Laura wishes she had gotten video of it for later. 

“Hey Laura, Rhodey and I are here for the exercise class.” Walking into the yard, as had become commonplace, they greeted her, exchanging hugs. 

"Hey, do you know what you're going to do?" Both Laura and Rhodey looked at Sam expectantly. 

"Uh, I didn't really have a plan. I was just gonna wing it. No pun intended." Rhodey just looked exasperated. 

“You volunteer to take over the PE class for her, and you have no plan?” He turned to Laura. “I’m sorry about that. If I’d’ve known, I would have thought of something.”

“The kids can probably just run around today, no need for a formal lesson plan yet. And you can talk to them about what they like to do. That might be able to give you some ideas for next time.” Laura put the tools away, and brushed her hands off on her jeans. “Thank you for coming and doing this. They’re really excited. Just go head on out back, they’re in the dirt.”

“Hey kids! You guys ready to do something!” Sam jogged out back to the kids. Rhodey just rolled his eyes, and followed. 

“Are we gonna play dodgeball?!” Lila’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Pleeeaaassseee?"

“Absolutely kiddo!” Sam grinned and had Cooper run to get as many balls as possible. Rhodey stood off to the side, knowing this is probably going to be a bad idea. “Hey, you gonna play with us Rhodey?”

A few hours later they all came trudging back in. Dirt and sweat covered, with Lila and Cooper all smiles and energy, while Sam and Rhodey were holding each other up. Looking more exhausted than they had anticipated.

“I regret not stretching.” Sam groaned, as they both collapsed into chairs in the kitchen. Laura set two large glasses of water in front of them, trying to not let a laugh escape. “Are they always like this?”

“Not quite like that, but they’ve been cooped up all week. It’s good you’re getting them out to play.” 

“Next time, we’re going to have a plan.”

"Agreed."


	3. Homeschooling Part 2

“Scott, what are you doing here?” Clint out down his axe, taking a break from chopping wood. Scott and Cassie walked off the little Stark jet, Cassie hiding behind him a little bit. While she liked playing with Cooper and Lila, she hadn’t really had a chance to talk or spend time with Clint. “Hey Cassie.”

This rewarded him with a wave and a shy smile from the small girl. 

“Laura asked me to help out with the kids’ art class. Cassie and I brought stuff to make tye dye t-shirts.” Scott huffed out, carrying the basket against his stomach. “We even brought a shirt for you and Nathaniel, so no backing out if art class”

“That sounds like fun, the kids are inside working on homework. They have the history assignments Buck and Cap assigned them. From what I understood of it, it’s not that interesting. I’m sure they’ll appreciate a break.” Wiping the sweat off his Face, Clint took a long drink from his water bottle. “Laura should be inside too, just ask her where she wants you to set up. I’ll be in when I finish this. It’s good to see you.”

“Hey guys!” Scott walked into the house, leaving Clint behind to finish chopping wood. His greeting surprised everyone, even Laura, who had been expecting him. “Cassie and I are here for your art class.”

“Hi Uncle Scott.” Lila raced over to hug Scotts legs, nearly knocking the man down. It’s hard to catch yourself when you have a laundry basket full of dye you’re trying not to spill. The little girl quickly let go of him when she saw her best friend. “Cassie!” 

“Here, I can take that.” Laura quickly took the basket, and gave him a one armed hug. “It’s good to see you Scott.”

“Good to see you too.” Laura started walking, and Scott followed.

“I thought that you guys were coming tomorrow? Not that I mind you being here today, I just didn’t think that Maggie would let you leave early.”

“When I told here we were coming here, she was a lot more willing to let me take her. She really likes you. Must think you can keep me outta trouble.” This caused Laura to let out a huffing laugh. 

“I’m glad that she likes me.” Laura paused, setting the basket down on the kitchen table. Moving over to the fridge, she took out containers of meat, cheese, and bread. “It’s time for lunch. I was trying to put it off for as long as possible. Once those two get away from homework they don’t want to do any more. Would you mind getting them, and Clint?”

Scott went out and got the kids, sending them to Laura. She in turn supervised them making sandwiches, and sent them outside. Clint and Scott came in just as she was closing the door after the kids.

“Lunch is ready. I sent the kids to eat outside, they’ve been in here all day.” Clint kissed her temple as he grabbed a plate to start making a sandwich. 

“Looks good.” Clint sat down in a chair and shoved half the sandwich on his mouth. He probably could have put the entire thing in his mouth, if he hadn’t put so much meat and cheese on it. Laura just rolled her eyes, and sat next to him, eating hers like a normal person. 

“Scott, do you want to just take over the art class from now on?” Laura asked suddenly. They had all been eating quietly, each focused on their food. “You can come every other weekend or something like that. And I can talk to Maggie, see if I can convince her to let you bring Cassie every time.” 

Scott looked surprised, he hadn’t been expecting that. Clint held his sandwich closer to his plate, and spoke.

“It would be great for the kids, and we have the room.”

“I would love that. Thank you.” Scott broke out in a huge grin. “Where do you want me to set up?”

“Outside, there’s a picnic table. Keep the mess out of my house.”

“No problem. And thank you for letting me and Cassie come for the weekend.”

“You guys are family Scott. You’re always welcome here.”

*****

“So, you are saying that you wish for me to teach Lila and Cooper how to complete mathematical equations?” Vision had been recruited to teach the kids math. He hadn’t volunteered, but Steve had recommended that Laura ask him to. The being agreed, and had come over for the first lesson he would be in charge of. 

“Kind of. They have books they work out of. It teaches them step by step how to do the equations, and then gives them practice problems to solve. At the end of each part is a test to take, make sure that they actually understand what they just did. I need someone to be close by to answer questions, and help explain while they do the practice problems.”

“So, I am a resource for them to use when they do not understand a math equation.”

“Yes, and try to explain it in smaller words, math gets hard and frustrating, especially for kids. There’s a lot that can go wrong if you’re not careful, and if you don’t understand, it can make it much worse. Tony wanted to do it, actually tried to bribe me into letting him take over the class. I didn’t think that was such a good idea. He forgets to come down to the average adult level when explaining things. At that point, only Bruce understands him, and not all the time.”

“While I look to Tony as a father figure, I must agree with that statement. He does not talk in such a way that young people can understand. I do not believe that if you did give him the class, Lila and Cooper would be able to even know how to ask questions. I will do what I can to teach them in an understandable way.”

“Thank you for agreeing to this. It takes some of the stress off my shoulders. I really don’t like math, and I find it doesn’t always make sense when I explain it.”

“It is not a problem.” Vision poised the end of the sentence as a question, waiting for Laura to approve his use of the phrase. When she did, he smiled. That was something else he learned about humans. They smile when pleased. “Spending time with Lila and Cooper will help me learn more about how to blend in with humans.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” Laura led the way to the kids, and left Vision to teach them. 

*****

“Uncle Thor!” Cooper and Lila shouted in unison, running at the man who had just burned a sigil into the ground, again. Laura had Thor arrive in a specific spot where the pattern from the Bifrost would just overlap, and not ruin her entire yard. 

Just from how Lila and Cooper reacted when the man showed up, it was quite possible that he was their favorite Avenger. They would never actually admit it though, they had been asked once. When all the Avengers and some of the other superheros came for dinner, it had brought up an argument that lasted until Cooper told them that Laura was their favorite. She knew better, but wanted the fighting to stop too, so she smiled and kissed the top of his head. 

“Lady Lila, Cooper, son of Barton. How do you fare?” He embraced them tightly, smiling when they returned the hug just as tightly. He stood up, letting Lila take his hand, just like he did every time he came. He really like kids. His personality, the energetic, happy-go-lucky, man-child side of him went really well with them. Though he could be charismatic, smooth, and charming, as well an amazing fighter, this was the side he preferred. Being able to jump, run, laugh, and played, it made him much happier. 

“We’ve been good. Doing homework.” At this, Cooper made a face, making Thor boom a laugh. 

“I remember my studies. They were something I feared every morning, and cheered when finished every evening.” Thor smiled wistfully. “I do have a lot of good memories from the dance and sword fighting classes I took. I believe that Loki did as well, though he would never admit it.”

“Mom said you’re here to teach us some of the stuff you learned as a kid. Is that true?” Cooper glanced at the man wide eyed, excited, hopeful. Having the Avengers as teachers is something everyone enjoyed. The kids had fun with their teachers, and the adults had fun teaching the kids, enjoying the break from their everyday job.

“Aye, it is. But I must talk to Lady Laura first. I must enquire where I shall be teaching you. If you would please escort me to her?” 

“Of course we can! Come on!” Lila pulled him towards the barn, shouting for her mom.

“What are you going to teach us?” Cooper hoped for swordplay. He wasn’t particularly interested in dancing, but if Uncle Thor was gonna teach them, he supposed it would be okay.

“Oh, Thor! You’re here already?” Lila dropped the man’s hand so he could return Laura’s hug. “That’s great, there should be enough space in the barn that no one should get hurt. That’s what I was doing, didn’t want you in the house and breaking furniture. They may have inherited my balance and not Clints, it’s a wonder I don’t have something broken every time I fall.”

“The barn is perfect milady. Is there some Midgard form of music we may use?” Stepping back, he smiled, and Lila took his hand again. Cooper just made a face, and really hoped he was wrong. 

“Yeah, there’s a stereo, Cooper knows how to work it.” Turning to her kids she smiled, and ruffled Lila’s hair, and fist bumped Cooper before going inside. 

“Why do we need music Uncle Thor?” Cooper looked over his shoulder as he went over to turn on the music. Chanting ‘please don’t say dancing’ in his head. 

“I am going to teach you how to dance. Young ladies love to dance.” Thor twirled Lila, who giggled. Cooper just made a face. Thor noticed it, and smiled. He knew exactly what he was thinking. “Young men need to learn. It helps with grace, and balance. It’s also required for young princes. It is also a good start for combat training. 

“I don’t think mom would like you teaching us how to fight like you.” Cooper replied, though he hoped that maybe when he was a little bigger, Thor could teach him how to fight. His dad had already taught him and Lila how to use a bow, and promised to teach him how to throw knives when he turned 13. 

“I must agree. Lady Laura specifically told me that I was only to teach you how to dance.” He winked at the boy. “Maybe when you are older, I can ask Lady Sif, the best swordsman on Asgard, to come and teach you.”

Cooper grinned. He had met Lady Sif once. She had told him that he may have the makings of a great warrior. Before they could respond, Lila interrupted.

“Can we dance now Uncle Thor?” Lile tugged on his hand to get his attention. In response, he twirled her again. Pulling a giggle out of her, and a smile out of Cooper.

“Of course. Please, step onto my feet. This is the best way to learn.”


	4. Cat Videos

“Uncle T! Uncle T!” Lila ran out of the house, screeching her head off. Laura just looked on, an amused smile on her face. Shaking her head, she leaned against the door frame. Avengers and Co randomly popping up had become commonplace in her home.

Lila though, still couldn’t believe that the superheroes that her daddy worked with actually came and did stuff with her and Cooper. Though she loved them all like family, T’Challa had become her favorite person since he told her he like cats too. 

Her mother can see the man smiling broadly as he picks the little girl up. Laura can’t help but let out a small laugh. Watching him with her kids always put her at ease. This King would be a good father someday. Seeing the little girl’s mouth move nonstop, she had no doubt that Lila is happily chattering the man's ear off about the latest cat video she saw. 

As they made it closer to the house, Laura left the door open and went out to the pastures.She had work to do, and hopefully, T’Challa can handle her.

*****

When she had been set down, Lila bounced around him. 

“What is it that you want to show me little one?” She took his hand and led him over to the couch. He dutifully stood, waiting for her to tell him to sit down. She often pulled him to other places in the house to watch videos, forgetting in her excitement about her original plans. When she gestured at him to sit down, she went over to the stand against the wall, where the computer sat in its place. 

“There’s a new cat video! Cooper helped me put a bookmark on it so we could find it.” Sitting down, Lila picked up the computer, and opened it up. After carefully logging in, she opened up the bookmark to youtube. After she had gotten it loaded up, T’Challa held it while she scooted back against the couch. When settled, he set it down and she pressed play. 

When T’Challa came over, he always sat with her and watched just about everything cat related. From them being scared over vegetables, to watching adorable kittens rolling over each other, playing with balls of fluffy yarn. They would spend whole weekends camped out on the couch, laughing and crooning over the balls of fur. Sometimes Shuri would come too, but a couple of hours in, she and Cooper would leave to the barn. 

Long after T’Challa had arrived, Clint came in, and found them on the couch. After watching them laugh and smile for a few moments, he kissed the top of Lila’s head, and told them he would be making dinner after he had a shower.

Sooner than either of them would have liked, Lila and T’Challa were called to the kitchen for spaghetti. They all sat down, and Lila soon took over the dinner conversation. She chattered nonstop about the cat videos they watched. Most of her conversation was directed at Clint. She was definitely his little girl. He spent some of his time with her watching videos about puppies. He definitely wasn’t a cat guy. He just nodded along, and hummed a response when it seemed appropriate. When Lila got on a roll about something, you only understood about half of what she said, and it usually didn’t make much sense. 

Cooper and Laura were doing the same, and Nathaniel just squealed happily as he was fed. T’Challa followed along only a little better than Clint. Having watched the same videos as her gave him an advantage. 

After dinner, the adults went to the front porch, and chatted about Wakanda and how everyone was doing. Cooper and Lila had to wash and dry the dishes, and she tried to continue what she was saying about cats then too. Apparently it was too much for Cooper, because he dropped the dish he was washing in the sink and turned to her, making her smile. 

“Will you just shut up about the cats already? That’s all you talk about. You don’t hear me never shutting up about the cars Shuri and I build.” With that, Lila felt tears start rolling down her cheeks, and she got mad. Dropping the plate she was washing on the counter, she got off her stool and stomped off. Yelling the whole way. 

“Who cares about your stupid cars Cooper! You’re so mean!” After slamming the door shut, she broke into a run, towards the greenhouse. Clint hurried in, followed by Laura, carrying Nathaniel, and T’Challa. 

“What was that?” Clint looked at his oldest son, waiting for an answer. 

“I got mad at Lila and told her to shut up.” Clint looked over at Laura, unsure what to do. He hadn’t been around for a while, dealing with Avenger crap. He wasn’t completely sure how to handle this.

“Cooper, what you said wasn’t nice. You need to apologise to her.” Laura shifted Nathaniel, and watched him as he went out the door too, following his sister. “Sorry about that.”

“It is not a problem. I have a younger sister as well. It was not until recently that we have been able to get along as well at home as we do in the public eye. Siblings fight. It is inevitable.” The king smiled. It was not until shortly before his father’s death that they had become the poster kids for perfect siblings. Though, they still had some problems, they had come a long way. 

Soon enough the kids came back in the house, Lila still upset, with tear tracks streaking her face, and Cooper, with his head down, feeling guilty for being mean to his sister. Laura smiled at the two, knowing that neither would feel that way for long, and they’d be at it again soon enough.

“It’s almost time for bed. Lila go take a shower and get ready, I need to talk to Cooper.” The boy sat down at the table while his sister went to do what she was told. “Can you tell me what happend?”

“I told Lila to shut up because she wouldn’t stop talking about the cat videos.” Laura nodded, and looked over at T’Challa. 

“Would you mind telling him what you told us?”

“You know that Shuri is my sister, right?” Cooper nodded and he continued. “We didn’t always get along as well as we do now. We used to argue so often, our mother would make us stare at each other from across the table, and we weren’t allowed to make any noise. When I officially became known as the Black Panther to our people, we started to get along. We had to because she was in charge of the tech for the suit. It wasn’t until the passing of our father that we really started to see eye to eye, and get along without the necessity of us working together.”

“But you and Shuri don’t fight anymore?”

“No, we still fight sometimes. But we both know that no matter what, we are there for each other. That is what family is all about.”

“Ohana, right mom?” Laura just smiled, while Clint and T’Challa looked at her with confused, curious looks on their faces. 

“Ohana means family. And family means noone gets left behind.” Laura passed the sleeping baby off to her husband. “It’s time to go get ready for bed. Take a shower.”

Cooper ran up the stairs as Laura yelled after him: “Use soap!”


End file.
